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Shallya
Shallya, Goddess of Healing and Mercy Description Shallya is the daughter of Verena and Mórr and is the goddess of healing, mercy, and compassion. She is normally portrayed as a young and beautiful maiden, whose eyes are perpetually welling with tears, but she can also take the form of a white dove. Alignment Neutral. Symbol Shallya is normally symbolised by a dove or by a heart and a drop of blood. Her priests, most of whom are female, wear white robes, often hooded, with a heart symbol embroidered in gold thread on the left breast. Area Of Worship Shallya is worshipped throughout the Old World by people from all walks of life. She is particularly popular as a patron deity of women, as it is believed that she protects against miscarriages and eases the pain of childbirth. Temples The most famous temple to Shallya is at Couronne, built over one of the springs for which the city is renowned. It is a popular destination for pilgrims, especially amongst the seriously ill. There is a temple or shrine to Shallya in every city, town, and village in the Old World; each is theoretically tributary to the nearest temple, while these in turn are tributary to the chief temples in the national capitals. The chief priests and priestesses from the capitals of each nation, together with the chief priestess from Couronne, form a council which is the supreme authority in the cult of Shallya. Temples to Shallya normally consist of a courtyard, with a long, hall-shaped temple on one side, a row of two or three chapels on the other, and an infirmary at tthe far end. Shrines are simple, small, rectangular huts, generally stone-built, with a low relief of Shallya's heart design over the doorway. Friends And Enemies The Cult of Shallya is on friendly terms with most other religions of the Old World, although it is not closely allied with the warlike cult of Ulric. There is occasional friction between the cult of Shallya and that of Ranald, who - according to myth - gained divine status by tricking Shallya into giving them the gift of immortality. The cult of Shallya is a peaceful one and does not take active steps against enemy cults, although it will seek to thwart the follwers of Chaos wherever they may be found. Holy Days There are no specific holy days, although it is customary for Old Worlders to make a sacrifice to Shallya each year on the anniversary of their birth. Cult Requirements No character who has ever taken a Human life, even accidentally, may become an Initiate of Shallya. Strictures All Initiates and Clerics of Shallya must abide by the following strictures: *Never take a Human life, even in self-defence. This stricture is lifted in the case of followers of Chaos. *Never take the life of an intelligent being, except in self-defence. *Never refuse healing to one who is genuinely in need and who comes as a supplicant. Priests of Shallya may never wear any kind of armour, nor use shields, nor carry any kind of weapon except for a staff. Spell Use Clerics of Shallya may use the following spells: Cure Light Wound, Cure Severe Wound, and all Aura spells. They may also use the specialist spells listed under Clerical Magic in the Spells entry. Skills In addition to the normal range of skills available to Initiates and Clerics, followers of Shallya automatically gain Cure Disease at the Initiate stage. Initiates of Shallya also gain a limited form of Augury, allowing them to divine insight into the nature of a disease or other infliction; on a successful Augury test, they gain a +10 bonus to all tests they make in treating a patient. Clerics of Shallya may choose one of the following skills at each level: Augury (full strength), Astrology, Heal Wounds, Herb Lore, Immunity To Disease, Scrying, or Surgery. These skills must be bought with Experience Points in the usual way. Those gaining skill in divining skills may use them to gain a bonus of +10 per level to tests made using these skills to diagnose or treat diseases and similar afflictions. Clerics of Shallya have a 1% chance of gaining Oracle and a 2% chance of gaining Visionary each time they rise in level; these skills cost 100 experience points each. Trials Trials set to a follower of Shallya always involve tending the sick. A typical trial might send the character to a town or village which has been struck by the Black Plague to tend the population until it has passed. Blessings Shallya favours the skills listed above, as well as the Disease and Poison tests. Category:Rules Category:Religion